Book Review: Brood Of Bones

I admit I approached this novel with some reservations. Despite the fact that my own husband’s work is “self published” and that a few friends of mine have gone the “small publisher” route, there is still a nervousness in stepping away from the taste-makers at the Big Six. Not that they don’t publish plenty of lousy stuff, but at least you won’t get something written by two goldfish via translation through a Kazoo.

Random House, Penguin, if you sent this man away you are bigger fools than I thought you were.

“Brood Of Bones” has the most original premise I’ve seen in fantasy writing in a decade. It starts a little rough, perhaps only because I’ve grown so accustomed to gentle introductions to new fantasy settings. Marling doesn’t pander in that way. He pitches us into the deep end right off the bat, confident that we can all swim by now, and gets right to the storytelling.

The writing could use a touch more polish but not outstandingly so- It’s unclear if the slight formality of the language is a style choice, the lack of an editor or inexperience. Also, chapters are short enough that they’re jarring* to those accustomed to more traditional formatting. The pace however races like a bullet train, pulling you along faster and faster until you find it nearly impossible to put the book down. This is not your fluffy wizards and woe novel.

Overall I strongly recommend this novel, and cant wait to see what Marling offers up next, and how he expands upon this universe.

View all my reviews* This might have had more to do with the epub version I read. My Sony Touch PRS600 had some formatting trouble with the decorative elements used at chapter headings, and it would lock a few seconds at each chapter break.